symbolism of escape in the glass menagerieIf we take a look at the different symbols used throughout the play, I think the most important one when it comes to escape is the ladder fire prevention. It is at the center from the beginning, when Tom opens his speech to the audience from there. To understand the role of the fire escape you need to see that it has a different purpose for each of the characters. In general we can say that it represents the border between freedom and imprisonment. Aside from that, different characters see him in different ways. For Tom, the fire escape is an opportunity to get away from the apartment and his annoying mother. For Amanda, however, it is a door through which the gentlemen who call Laura can enter their apartment/world. For Laura, even though she has been outside, it is the border between the safe and the dangerous, between the known and the unknown. The ballroom across the street can also be seen as a symbol of escape. Its name, Paradise Dance Hall, contrasts with the characters' lives and the current situation in the world seen in the play. Furthermore, Laura spends much of her time listening to her mother's old records, always listening to the same old music. I believe that the music coming from the ballroom can be interpreted as the possibility for Laura to escape from her monotonous life, a possibility that she cannot use at the moment. The last symbol that I think is important to the theme is Tom and Laura's father, Mr. Wingfield. He is the ultimate symbol of escape, as he actually managed to escape. The fact that Amanda still has her picture on the wall tells us something about another way she's trying to escape; keeping the past close, as the image is probably there to remember the good